Leveling the Playing Field With AI: Special Olympics's Mary Davis

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Mary Davis, CEO of Special Olympics, wants the people she represents to “have a seat at the table” as AI evolves. In this episode of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast, Davis talks about her organization’s mission along with the growing role of AI and how it’s crucial to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities — a group often overlooked in tech discussions — are included in AI development. Special Olympics helps people with intellectual disabilities through sports, education, and leadership programs. Its Unified Champion Schools program is an inclusive education initiative that benefits all students, both those with and without intellectual disabilities, reduces bullying, and improves academic performance. Mary also shares the results of a study conducted by the Special Olympics and Harvard University citing strong support from parents, teachers, and the athletes themselves to use AI to support people with intellectual disabilities, especially in educational contexts. She sees AI as a powerful tool for “leveling the playing field” and describes specific applications that the Special Olympics is using for employees and athletes. Read the episode transcript here. Guest bio: Mary Davis has been the CEO of Special Olympics since 2016. She joined the nonprofit organization soon after college as a volunteer and coach in her native Ireland. She progressed through various leadership roles before becoming its global CEO: She was CEO of the Special Olympics World Summer Games Dublin 2003, the first such event held outside the United States; CEO of Special Olympics Ireland; and president and managing director of Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia. Davis was awarded a Person of the Year Award for her work on the 2003 World Summer Games and her years of service with Special Olympics Ireland. Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper. Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn. We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.